Successful Gardening Despite the Odds

Pam Heron is a keen gardener who loves nature and works with it to benefit her corner of southern Ontario. Living on just under an acre in King Township northwest of Toronto, Pam describes her garden as a “work in progress.”

She grows a huge variety of native plants, experimenting with what will grow in a yard dominated by black walnut trees, which are known to release juglone into the surrounding soil. This naturally occurring chemical inhibits the growth of certain plants within the reach of the black walnut’s roots, which can be as far as 18 metres. While it is hard to know for sure if the plants that struggled or died were the result of juglone or other factors, Pam comments, “I can say that the native plants (all woodland plants seem fine except for some evergreen ones like bunchberry) do better generally than the non-native shade-loving plants (astilbe, hydrangea, hostas don't survive).” Her fruit trees and some vegetables also seem unable to cope with the juglone.

In addition, Pam has limited water use; her house runs on rain water collected in cisterns. Though her budget is limited, Pam is nevertheless managing to gradually replace the former lawn by dividing the natives that do well on her property. When natives are planted in a suitable spot, they only need watering to get established. After that they are on their own.

These plants provide nectar and pollen to beneficial insects such as bees, butterflies and other pollinators. They bloom from early spring with Virginia bluebells and bloodroot into the summer with bee balm and Echinacea through to the fall with zigzag goldenrod and New York asters, to name a few. The continuous blooms are both visually appealing and meet the needs of these winged allies.

Pam leaves the stalk and seed head clean-up until the following spring. This allows the plants to produce seeds and fruit that birds and other foraging wildlife eat in the fall and winter.

Some non-natives that have been there since she moved in are still growing in one part of the garden and are welcome to stay as they are not invasive and still produce nectar and pollen.

Besides being a food source for wildlife, Pam’s variety of plants – from trees and shrubs to perennials, grasses and ferns – serves as shelter from both the elements and predators. This mix creates habitat for all sorts of creatures living at different levels, including the ground-feeding American tree sparrow, tree-top northern orioles, bats, butterflies, snakes, squirrels, foxes and more.

Pam has created additional shelter by letting fallen wood decompose, making brush piles and erecting nest boxes. She has also let the dead trees in her garden remain standing. This is a practice that can benefit mammals such as squirrels, raccoons and sometimes bats. Many species of bird use snags as homes, places to forage for insects or both, as Pam has seen with her visiting woodpeckers. Birds also love to perch on snags while waiting their turn at her feeding station. (Editor’s note: Keep snags to less than 2 metres and cut any branches in danger of breaking off to help keep them safe.)

Pam also keeps in mind another wildlife necessity – water – which is provided by a shallow pool with plants, such as turtlehead and marsh marigold, growing in it and others growing around it. The birds love splashing in the small pond at the top of their re-circulating stream, making it the perfect “self-cleaning bird bath,” as Pam calls it. Their pond once had an algae problem, but removing the fish caused most of the algae to disappear.

The property is also very environmentally friendly. Pam never waters the lawn, composts her food waste for later use in the garden, leaves lawn cuttings to nourish the soil and pulls all invasive weeds by hand. “Other weeds are allowed to grow in the mowed lawn and the rabbits eat the clover instead of the vegetables.”

To help raise money for a local community organization and to raise awareness of the importance and beauty of native plants, Pam propagates and sells many of her plants each year. Through her efforts she has raised hundreds of dollars each year for the community and connects with other gardeners in an uplifting way.

Pam’s gardening efforts are also being recognized with garden tours. Last year her property was part of the local horticultural society’s garden tour. “Their interest is in how lawn has been transformed into native plants, the natural landscaping efforts and water conservation strategies as our household runs on rain water.” The attention it received from that event resulted in two groups, including a busload of people from Toronto, to come see it this year.